It’s the best date you’ve been on since Britney was allowed some quality time with her spawn, but you’re not quite sure you want to shack up for the night just yet. What to do, what to do…. It’s probably time to give a coy smile and a gentle touch on the arm and say, “Let’s get a drink. I know a place.” At these bars you can, um, “sample the goods,” but if things turn south (and you don’t want them to turn south), you can always yawn and spit out a line about having to be up in the morning.

Temple Bar
332 Lafayette St. (Bleecker & Houston Sts.)
NoHo 212.925.4242
What do you get when you combine perfectly mixed potent cocktails, Old World sensibility, and lighting that’s darker and sexier than the latest Tim Burton movie? Well, depending on your company, either an awkward evening or the best makeout bar ever. And though it might seem impossible, Temple Bar’s nooks—boasting plush booths and accompanying drapes—are even darker than the rest of the bar…the perfect place for a little drunken decision-making!

Thom Bar
60 Thompson St. (Spring & Broome Sts.)
SoHo 212.219.3200
The second-floor bar of the Thompson Hotel combines sexiness and style with convenience. Zebra-print rugs acknowledge your animalistic desires, while black leather couches suggest a fetish you didn’t know you have. When you’re in the mood—or when the waitstaff begins to seriously suggest you “get a room” —head right over to the front desk where management will happily make the necessary arrangements so you and your pretty young thing can take it upstairs and continue the party ’til sunrise.

Shalel Lounge
65 W. 70th St. (@ Columbus Ave.)
Upper West Side 212.873.2300
If you want to keep things on the “down low,” check out the Upper West Side’s subterranean Shalel Lounge. Located on a quiet slice of West 70th, Shalel’s offers plenty of shadowy corners in which to misbehave. A Moroccan-inspired décor complete with flickering candles, a trickling waterfall, and mood music will help you turn your table into the naughty corner. And though you might run in to a few uptight news media people pretending to be hip, you’re not likely to be discovered by anyone you know.

Royal Oak
594 Union Ave. (@ Richardson St.)
Williamsburg 718.388.3884
With its brass fixtures and sly entrance, Royal Oak seems modeled after a Prohibition-style speakeasy, Williamsburg-style. It’s the perfect place to party like it’s 1929 without dealing with the crowds of Manhattan. On weekends, the rear dance floor is a meat market—there’s plenty of opportunity to snag a hot young hipster. When you’re all bumped and grinded out, slip into one of the darkened booths for some incognito fun.

Café Noir
32 Grand St. (Thompson St. & 6th Ave.)
SoHo 212.431.7910
Mojitos, capirinhas, and sangrias are the drinks of choice at this bar popular with locals and Europeans alike. The booths in the back are one of the most popular places to watch couples doing the lip-locked limbo, but if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Their small-ish seats will force you to cuddle in tightly and melt away the rest of the winter weather.

After a healthy make-out session, chances are you are heading for a real date (maybe). And if you're a guy, and really dig the chick, why not spring for some flowers? CallMeCasanova.com has some great gifts that'll make her swoon. Great for the dreaded Valentine's Day coming up, too. Hell, if you really like her, plug in her birthday (after you casually snoop on her driver's license for the date since you forgot it already) and the site will hook you up with reminders and offer up gift suggestions.

~Jack Curtin